Listen to this chapter!
Touko was in so much pain that she could barely breathe. Plants enclosed her, suffocating her and clinging to her skin. She smelled metal and filth whenever she forced herself to take a breath. She lifted her face, seeking some way out of this prison of leaves and grass. Temari was barking continuously, high-pitched like a woman screaming.
There was no way out of the plant prison that Touko could see. She tried to look for Akira and the others. The plants surrounding her were pressing down harder and harder, the pressure crushing her. Touko’s vision went white. She shut her eyes tight and took another strangled breath.
Touko sensed movement and opened her eyes. The Millennium Comet stood before her, her shimmering silver hair floating behind her. Her eyes, usually silver, had gone dark and dim. They looked like deep, empty holes.
With a slithering motion, the tree roots that were tangled around Touko’s limbs unraveled and fell to the ground.
The Millennium Comet tilted her fragile neck and spoke, but Touko couldn’t hear what she said. Silver hair spread out like the wings of an enormous bird.
And then the Millennium Comet vanished along with the dome of plants crushing Touko and the others, leaving behind a hole in the world.
“Ow… who was that tattooed bitch?” Akira asked. She rubbed the back of her neck. There were leaves and twigs in her hair. Kun spat out dead leaves. Kanata touched Touko’s arm with his wet nose.
Did they see the Millennium Comet? Touko wondered. Kanata, did you see it?
Akira pulled Kun close. Her eyes darted in all directions, taking in their surroundings. There was a lantern sitting on the ground nearby that was almost out of fire fuel.
Touko gazed into Kanata’s eyes. Kanata stared back at her, perfectly calm and unruffled.
There were signs of the plants that had risen up and attacked them, but all of those plants were withered now. They shrank into cracks in the ground.
“Touko, can you stand?” Akira asked. She reached out a hand.
Touko took Akira’s hand and tried to stand up. She couldn’t quite manage it. She felt like she was about to throw up.
Touko heard the sound of flowing water. Kun imitated the sound, making gurgles low in his throat. The air was humid—thick with water. The packed earth beneath their feet was too flat and even to be natural ground.
They were in an underground passage close to one of the city’s canals.
Akira lifted up the lantern. “Where are we?” she asked. Her voice was amplified by the flowing water to their left.
Touko reached for the wall behind her and stood up, steadying herself. She knew this place. This was the underground passage in the industrial area where she had once walked with Koushi. Kun clutched the jar filled with insects to his chest and looked around restlessly. Suddenly, his gaze fixed on one spot, he froze. Touko turned and focused on the wall.
It was too dark to see clearly. She could almost make out a familiar shape. There had been similar patterns on the walls of the underground passage they had walked through before getting lost in the forest.
Drawings of insects.
Kanata’s ears pricked up, and Temari barked. Footsteps echoed in the passage.
“Who’s there?!” Akira called out.
Touko heard a sharp intake of breath.
Akira stepped forward, holding up the flickering lantern. The weak light revealed a man with sunken cheeks and a boy with a defiant glare in his eyes. They shrank back in fright. The boy was a few years younger than Touko. He clung to the man, who was holding a heavy wooden box.
“Father!” the boy cried out. He hid his face in the man’s shoulder. His face twisted in fear.
The man ground his teeth in anger. Even in the darkness, Touko could see that his face was pale and covered in a sheen of cold sweat. Tension came rolling off Kanata in waves so intense that they made Touko’s heart pound.
The man let the wooden box drop with a hard thud. The boy looked like he was about to cry and hid behind his father. The man pulled the boy behind him and bared his teeth, raising a modified egg-shaped lantern with his free hand. It was sparking strangely.
Temari kept barking. Kun made a guttural howl deep in his throat that sounded like a threat.
Sparks.
Touko couldn’t process what was happening. It was all too strange. She was afraid, but she wasn’t sure why.
Akira reacted much faster than she did. She struck the man down without hesitation. The egg-shaped lantern fell out of his hand and rolled away.
Touko gasped and grabbed Kun’s shoulder. A spark meant fire. This man and his son were Spider sympathizers. They intended to set Akira and the others on fire!
The man doubled over and dry-heaved. He managed to keep his son behind him. Akira picked up the egg-shaped lantern with an expression of distaste and threw it in the canal.
The boy shook all over, looking from Akira to Touko to Kun and the dogs with panic in his eyes.
Touko tried to stand again and had more luck this time. She had no idea what they were supposed to do about the man and his son. If they had succeeded in lighting Akira and the others on fire, they would have suffered combustion, too.
Akira lifted the wooden box that the man had been carrying and threw it in the canal as well. The murky current carried the box and its contents slowly downstream.
The man was no longer bent double, though he seemed to have some trouble breathing. He wiped a string of saliva from the side of his mouth and groaned.
“If only… If only I could have freed my child from this world of suffering sooner! Burn in hell, servant of the Guardian Gods!”
Akira tilted her head at the man. “I’m not one of the capital’s Fire Hunters,” she said. She turned her back on the man and his son.
The man wept, and his son wailed.
Akira grabbed Touko and Kun by the scruff of their necks and started walking, dragging them along. Touko could barely keep up. Temari and Kanata followed behind, keeping a watchful eye on their surroundings.
Touko could feel the frightened boy staring at them from behind.
Touko and the others had suddenly appeared using the powers of the Wood Clan. It was no wonder that Akira had been mistaken for a Fire Hunter that was working for the Guardian Gods.
The sparking lantern was a tool for setting fires, and the box contained materials for making fire chemically. There had been enough materials in that box to destroy an entire factory building.
Touko didn’t understand the man and his son. Why would anyone want to burn to death? Why wasn’t the fighting over already? Touko felt herself getting out of breath and slowed down a bit so that she could try to calm herself.
Is it really okay to leave those people behind? she thought.
Akira kept moving fast, and her posture forbade questions. They came to the end of the passage and went into a factory. They climbed up a staircase, passed through an empty building and went outside.
They had returned to the capital, to the industrial area. Sudden sunlight stung Touko’s eyes. She closed them, pressing her hands over her eyelids. She had a terrible headache.
Kun grabbed Touko’s arm, and that helped. His hand on her arm steadied her and made the headache and the dizziness pass faster.
It was sunset, and somewhat cloudy. The sun burned a line of light along the horizon.
“This isn’t good,” Akira muttered through gritted teeth.
Touko knew that the Guardian God had sent them elsewhere with that terrible spell, but she hadn’t expected to go all the way back to the capital so fast. The canal behind them was overflowing onto the street. A sheer slope rose up under their feet. There was a bridge over the canal nearby, and they would have to cross it to reach the shrine. The bridge marked the boundary between the industrial area with all the factories and the city’s residential areas.
“We’re pretty far from the shrine,” Akira said. “Is this that bitch’s way of telling us to stay away?” she spat. She lowered her gaze and took a few deep breaths. She frowned intensely. She didn’t think them coming back close to those Spider sympathizers was an accident. Maybe the Guardian God of the Wood Clan had hoped they’d combust in the underground passage.
Kun clung to Touko’s arm and crouched down as if he were trying to make himself small.
Touko was shaking violently. She tried to stop trembling, but she didn’t know how. “Miss Akira?” she asked.
Akira faced the industrial area. She looked exhausted. The cloudy sky cast a pall over the world. Touko wondered if her eyes were getting worse. Whenever she looked straight at the sky, she saw threads of light between the clouds.
Touko looked down and rubbed her eyes. How much had the night, the forest, and the dark underground passage hidden changes in her vision? She’d been so relieved that she could see again that she’d failed to notice how blurry and indistinct everything was. Touko was frustrated by this. She needed to be able to see clearly.
What did the Guardian God mean? Why did she send us here? Touko thought. The Guardian God had asked Akira if she’d come to the capital to die. The plants of the forest had created the Guardian God’s voice. Had all of that been real? She’d felt the forest’s eyes on them and shivered at the memory.
There was nothing Touko could do about her eyes or her exhausted limbs. All she could do now was keep going and do her best.
“Touko, lend me a piece of blessed paper,” Akira said, reaching out her bandaged hand.
Touko nodded and retrieved the paper from her bag. She had placed the paper in an airtight, stoppered jar to protect it.
Akira’s entire arm was wrapped in bandages. She was so hurt, and there had been little time to rest.
Touko removed a piece of paper from the jar and handed it to Akira. Akira tucked the sheet of paper under the cloth tied around Temari’s neck. Temari growled at being given something new to carry. Akira also took the time to use bandages to tie the jar containing the special insects firmly to Kun’s chest, leaving his hands free.
Akira spotted a water spigot next to the entrance of a nearby building. She moved toward it with grim determination. She turned on the spigot, and then called Touko and Kun over so that they could get a drink.
Both Touko and Kun eagerly caught water in their hands and brought it to their mouths. It tasted much more metallic than what they had drunk in the underground passage, but it was still water, and it was irresistible. They wanted to drink until they drowned.
Touko’s trembling hands couldn’t hold the water well. Kun’s small hands weren’t any better, but both of them managed to quench their thirst and wash their faces.
Akira brought her mouth directly to the spout, letting the water flow into her throat. Then she scrubbed her face and her hair.
Temari drank next, and Kanata waited patiently behind her.
Temari turned around abruptly and barked loudly. Akira wrung water from her hair and looked for the threat. Touko tried to look around, too, but she had a headache again and her eyes felt funny. She squeezed her eyes shut for a few moments until the feeling passed.
When Touko opened her eyes again, it was like there was a muddy film over everything, but she could see. There was a young woman standing in front of the bridge. She was short and wore gray work clothes. Maybe she was a factory worker that had come to check on the industrial area.
The young woman limped away from the bridge toward a factory. She didn’t acknowledge the presence of Akira or the others at all.
“Let’s go,” Akira said.
The woman from before emerged from a factory building along with two companions. She walked back to the bridge. This time, she looked straight at them.
The woman’s companions wore gray work clothes that were similar to her own. Behind the three workers stood a young girl in a pale blue dress. The workers pointed at Akira and raised their voices in a shout. The girl gasped loudly.
“There you are,” the girl whispered fearfully. She ran toward them, her long hair tied back. The scars on her face shone white in the dim light of the setting sun. Her shoulders rose and fell as she ran. Her legs were as thin as sticks; her capital-style clothes did little to hide them.
It was Kaho.
“Kaho? Why are you here?” Akira asked. There was a faint trace of anger in her voice.
Why? Touko was sure she must be dreaming.
“Kaho!” Kun cried out. He ran toward Kaho.
Touko hoped that this wasn’t a dream. She tried to force herself into motion, but she was too exhausted to run to her friend.
“I thought I wouldn’t see you again,” Touko said. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Her voice was quiet in her own ears.
Kaho got closer moment by moment. She should have been at Shouzou’s house in the slums. She caught hold of Kun and picked him up, laughing in joy. She walked hand-in-hand with Kun and approached Touko, resting one hand on her shoulder.
The coldness of Kaho’s hand brought Touko back to her senses. Her heart began to beat wildly, as if she were about to panic.
“Kaho, why? Why are you here?” Touko asked in a shaky voice.
Kaho looked straight at her. Her eyes were as clear and vivid as pools of pure water. Touko had hoped that she would see Kaho again, but now her eyes weren’t working right.
The outline of Kaho’s face blurred. Touko’s hands refused to stop shaking. Kaho gently took Touko’s hands in hers.
“There were people going into the city to help an injured Fire Hunter,” Kaho said. “I followed those people here.”
Kaho glanced back at the three workers standing behind her. They approached, surrounding Akira in a loose circle. They appeared friendly and curious, not hostile.
Temari crouched low and growled.
“Do you work on the black carts?” Akira asked, taking in the insignia on the gray uniforms. Now that they were closer, Touko noticed that one of the workers was a woman younger than Akira. The other two were an old man with a bent back and a stern-faced man in his early forties. They wore chains around their necks attached to metal tags with their names on them. Those tags were the same as the one Shouzou had worn.
“The industrial area’s in a terrible state, so we couldn’t sit still and do nothing,” the old man said. “The call for aid was so sudden. The assigned crew to assist with relief efforts is just a bunch of us thrown together. Still, we all passed the test, so we’ve got some skills.” He grinned, showing off several missing teeth. “That young whippersnapper Shouzou told us where to go. He’s been home for awhile, but he was hiding that since he got injured pretty bad on his last tour of the villages.”
“I’ve heard most of the story. And we know what you’re trying to do as well,” the middle-aged crewman said.
The elderly man gave them a wan smile. The wrinkles around his mouth were cavernously deep. “We’re glad you’re here. Maki, fetch something for them to wear. It’s cold at night, and they’re not dressed for it.”
Maki, the young woman, nodded and ran off. Her tightly bound hair bounced as she went. From afar, she resembled Benio.
“Maki cannot speak. Most of us who are left just barely managed not to fail the exam. We were supposed to leave the capital together, but she missed the boarding. Not that it mattered, in the end.” He spoke in a sing-song manner and turned his smile on Akira.
“The tunnel collapsed, so none of the black carts can leave. It’s still dangerous to try to get back to the black carts in the industrial area,” Akira said sternly.
Kaho hugged Kun, holding him close with one arm while gripping Touko’s hands with her free hand. Touko still wasn’t sure that Kaho was here. Her awareness of reality was a fractious thing; she didn’t trust what she was seeing and feeling.
The middle-aged crew member opened his mouth to say something, but the old man shook his head. The middle-aged man remained silent.
“The more hot-blooded ones wanted to go back and find the black carts, but us veterans know better,” the old man said. “One of the carts can probably still run if it gets a few minor repairs. We want to get that one ready and moving for the sake of the villages. But something needs to be done about the tunnel first, never mind the roads, which are in terrible shape. That’s the situation. Until the tunnel’s clear and there’s a safe path out of the city, we’re out of work.” He paused.
“That’s why we decided to help the injured,” the middle-aged man said. “All of us who didn’t evacuate have been helping where we can. Kaho insisted on coming along, even though she was told to stay put. She refused to listen to anyone. She was adamant about helping care for the injured. She’s very stubborn and determined.”
The old man smiled at Kaho, who said nothing in response to the crew member’s words.
“Two carts managed to leave before the battle,” the middle-aged man said. “We’ve received reports that they’re unusable. They were damaged badly on their way out of the city. We only have one black cart that can run. It’ll be hard to get to the villages every six months unless something changes for the better. We need to do something.”
“You told Shouzou all this?” Akira asked.
The crew members nodded at the same time.
Akira frowned deeper in distress. Touko pressed her face against Kaho’s shoulder, seeking comfort. She smelled disinfectant and medicine.
“Shouzou said, ‘If you meet Akira, tell her this: she’s a stupid woman,’” Kaho said.
Touko blinked at Kaho in surprise. There was still a muddy film over everything. She wished she could see even a little better.
“What?” Akira bit her tongue, but then she smiled faintly, her expression childlike and curious. “All right. Anything else?”
“Yes,” Kaho said. “‘If the King of the Fire Hunters arises, you must live on and take responsibility. I know you are prepared for death, but life still makes demands of you.’ That’s all he said. In the city, I saw many people who believed that the Spiders would save them, so I asked the crew members to spread a rumor about the King of the Fire Hunters. I couldn’t just let the people who sympathize with the Spiders set fire to the city unchecked. Everyone wants something they can believe in. I told them to say that the King of the Fire Hunters would be a Fire Hunter with red hair, and that they would save us all.”
Akira’s eyes widened. “You can’t just do something like that on your own.”
“You’re the one who wrote a petition to the Guardian Gods hoping to become the King of the Fire Hunters. Didn’t you, Akira?” Kaho asked.
Akira’s face twisted with painful emotion.
The middle-aged crewman folded his arms. “Shouzou said you’d be okay, even with the city in chaos. I owe this old guy a lot, since he helped me out when I was still an apprentice. I’ve known Shouzou since he was a kid. He’s always been a bit of a troublemaker, but he was never a liar. If he says something is true, I believe him. And look at you! Safe and sound, while the city burns.” His eyes roved over Akira’s companions, including the dogs.
“Where are the other Fire Hunters?” Akira asked. “How many Fire Hunters are left in the capital?”
The old man’s smile faded and then twisted into a bitter frown. “Fewer than thirty survived the attack, and most of them were injured. The rest are dead. Quite a few Fire Hunters stayed in the capital during and after the attack. They didn’t get any orders from the Guardian Gods. There are far more dead than there are living. As far as I know, there are only five Fire Hunters who survived the attack and decided to stay in the city.”
Touko was astonished by how few Fire Hunters remained in the capital. Out of that vanishingly small number, how many of them were in any shape to hunt the Millennium Comet? Did any of them even want to do that?
There had been many Fire Hunters and dogs dead in the bay, attacked by Fire Fiends long before the city had been threatened by the Spiders’ invasion. Akira had known some of them. It was possible that they had been her friends, or at least had been of like mind. If they had survived, then Akira could have joined forces with them now.
Maybe Akira wouldn’t do that, though, even if those Fire Hunters were still alive. The Guardian God of the Wood Clan had said, “You don’t even trust the other Fire Hunters, do you? They tried to take everything you had from you. You cannot trust humans, and you cannot trust Guardian Gods. Who does that leave? The Fire Fiends.”
If that was true, then Akira couldn’t trust anyone. Not even other unregistered Fire Hunters.
Touko shook her head. She doubted that the Guardian God had told the whole truth. She’d had reasons to confuse Akira and lie to her. Now that Touko had met the Millennium Comet in person, she doubted that the story—legend?—of the King of the Fire Hunters was true. She wasn’t sure if the Fire Hunter who slew the Millennium Comet would become the King of the Fire Hunters anymore.
“Touko,” Kaho said softly. Her voice pulled Touko out of her grim thoughts. It was hard for Touko to believe that Kaho was here with her. Wasn’t she dreaming? She was too happy for this to be real.
“This is for you, Touko,” Kaho said. She untied a bundle that she’d been carrying over her shoulder. She thrust a pair of new straw sandals at Touko. “You should sit down and put them on.”
Touko heard Kaho, but her mind was wandering in a daze. She didn’t say anything. She wondered how long she had been drifting, searching for the shrine without ever getting there.
“I really wanted to make new ones, but I didn’t have the materials or the time. I couldn’t make a pair for Miss Akira, either,” Kaho said.
Touko recognized the sandals. They were the same style as the ones she’d seen when they’d passed through a glass-making village during the journey to the capital. Akira had tied a Fire Fiend to her cart after that, and they’d ridden in the cart all the way to the bay. Kaho had bought new sandals in the glass-making village. She’d done very little walking since they’d gotten to the city. The sandals she presented to Touko appeared brand new.
Kaho encouraged Touko to sit down. Then she removed Touko’s dirty sandals and put the clean ones on her feet. That done, she untied another bundle and handed it to Kun.
“This is food. An innkeeper gave it to us. Kun, don’t eat it all by yourself, okay? Make sure to share it with Touko and Miss Akira.”
Akira raised an eyebrow. “Wait a minute. Kaho, aren’t you going to take Touko and Kun home?”
Kaho looked straight at Akira, clear-eyed and standing up tall. “Even if I did, they would chase after you again, Miss Akira,” she said. “I can’t stop them. I suppose I could ask the crew members of the black carts to guard them, but I doubt that would work, either. Kun can use his insects to track you, so he’ll always know where you are and follow you no matter what anyone does.”
“Kaho, do you even understand what you’re saying?” Akira asked. “Do you plan to go back home alone, then?”
“No,” Kaho said. “Now that I’m here, I’m going to help. I’m sorry if I end up being a burden, Miss Akira. But I have to do whatever I can.”
Kaho was determined, sure and strong-willed.
The crew members all relaxed a bit. The old man sighed. “This city is a terrible place,” he said. “I lost my wife and children to the factories. They were dyers. I hoped the work wouldn’t be too hard for them, and it wasn’t, but the chemicals were harsh. I’ve suffered more than my fair share of machine oil spills, but I’m the last survivor. Most of my friends are dead, too. I wanted to live and die with dignity. That’s why I left my home village and took the crew exam. Now we do what we can, for the sake of survival.” He gave Akira a long, considering look. “I wish it did not fall on the young to save us, but to be frank, I’ll take whatever help I can get. I beg you to do all you can, and I promise to do the same.”
The old man smiled sadly, and then bowed deeply to Akira.
“Please raise your head,” Akira said. She knelt down to the old man’s level when he refused to stop bowing to her. “To be honest, I don’t know how much I can help, but I promise to do what I can.” She placed her hands on the ground and lowered her head, bowing on all fours. Her wet hair hung down heavily. “It would be foolish to expect too much from me. I swear that I will deliver my petition to the shrine of the Guardian Gods. I promise that the King of the Fire Hunters will appear, in some form. I will accomplish that, even if it costs me my life.”
Akira looked like she wanted to say more, but then Maki returned, carrying a cloth bundle. She was out of breath. She took in the condition of Akira, the children, and the crew members. Then she bent down to Akira and offered her the bundle.
Akira received the bundle with a grateful nod. “Thank you.”
The bundle was a Fire Hunter’s uniform. It wasn’t in perfect condition. There were a few stubborn bloodstains that hadn’t come out, even with repeated washing. It was still better than what Akira was wearing.
Maki made nervous gestures. She knew that the outfit wasn’t perfect, but it had been the only uniform she could find that might fit Akira.
Akira nodded in understanding, then shrugged the uniform on over her tattered clothes. She tied her borrowed belt tightly.
“Touko, Kun,” Kaho said. She pulled Touko and the Spider boy into a hug. Touko was still sitting, so this hug happened mostly on the ground.
Kanata touched Touko’s forehead with his own and slowly wagged his tail when she looked up at him.
Kun reached out for Touko’s hand. Touko squeezed it.
“Come home safe,” Kaho said. “You and Kun and Kanata too, okay?”
“Okay, Kaho,” Touko said. “We will.”
Was it even possible to hunt the Millennium Comet? Would Akira or one of the other Fire Hunters become the King of the Fire Hunters? Would the capital ever be truly safe for humans? Touko didn’t know. Those questions were too big and too terrible to be asked aloud.
“Is the shrine’s main entrance still intact, or was it destroyed when the cliff collapsed?” Akira asked.
The middle-aged crewman rubbed roughly at his stubble. “The entrance that the Fire Hunters used to use was destroyed in the collapse. There’s no way through. A few Tree People are at the base of the cliff, though. The last time I saw them, they were digging through the rubble and creating a new way to reach the shrine.”
Kunugi was digging his way up to the shrine. Touko wondered if Kunugi had found Kiri and Hinako.
The middle-aged crewman tossed Akira a rattling medicine bottle. “That’s a painkiller,” he said. “I don’t know if it will help you, but it’s some of the only medicine we have left. There might still be people setting fires in the underground passages or inside buildings. Once we finish moving bodies, we’ll do a sweep of the area. Be careful.”
“Thank you.” Akira bowed to the crew again, and then turned away without saying another word.
Akira walked briskly down the street. Touko got up and followed her, trailed by Kanata and Kun. Kun grabbed Touko by the hand so that he wouldn’t be left behind.
Touko turned around and waved to Kaho. She tried to burn the memory of Kaho’s face into her memory forever, but she still couldn’t see well. Tears blurred her already imperfect vision.
Kaho kept her eyes on Touko as she walked away.
I promise, Kaho, Touko thought with the intensity of a prayer. I will come back. I swear it.
Kaho was one of Touko’s first real friends. She had decided to live in the capital after being cast out of her village.
Touko wanted to speak to Kaho more, to tell her everything, but there wasn’t time for more words. She gripped Kun’s hand tighter and turned away. She wiped her eyes on one dirty sleeve.
The sky was still overcast, threatening rain. Touko looked up. She knew it was full night now, but she couldn’t see any stars at all. She wished she could be up where the stars were right now. The curtain of clouds would prevent her from seeing all of the tragedy and ruin down below.
The Millennium Comet had pulled that cloud curtain aside, descending from the sky.
“Miss Akira!” Touko called out.
Akira didn’t turn around. “Keep quiet. We have to hurry,” Akira said.
They passed by buildings that hadn’t been destroyed in the battle. The street was relatively well-maintained here and free of rubble. Kanata walked behind Touko and Kun, guarding the rear.
Akira’s shoulders shook with silent sobs. Touko couldn’t see her face, but she might be crying.
They were heading for the shrine again. Touko worried that they would be attacked by Hibari’s spies or the Guardian Gods, but no such threat materialized. Temari kept pace with Kanata, and neither dog reacted to danger.
Kaho had given Kun a box full of rice balls and some snacks. Kun was the only one who ate while walking. Akira hadn’t taken any of the food, and Touko thought that she might throw up if she tried to eat right now. She felt cold and weak, but she kept moving.
Akira turned off the main road when the opportunity presented itself. Moving along side-streets and alleyways was better than approaching the shrine out in the open where anyone could see them. There must still be Spiders lurking in the city, lying in wait, preparing ambushes. There could be transformed humans that the Water Clan had altered in the canals. Some Spider sympathizers might still be setting fires to destroy the Spiders’ enemies.
“Touko, are you doing okay?” Akira called back to her. “We’ve been traveling for a long time, and you were hurt.”
The night was getting darker and darker. Touko felt like she was slowly losing her grasp over the passing of time. She had no idea what time it was, or even what day it was.
Touko didn’t answer Akira’s question. Akira kept walking, but she half-turned to look at Kun, who was licking grains of rice off of sticky fingers.
“Kun, do you have insects that you can use?” Akira asked. She wasn’t talking about the special combustion-nullifying insects, but about ordinary insects that Kun could communicate with using his Spider powers.
“I do. There were plenty in the forest.” Kun ate another rice ball. Using his powers made him tired and hungry.
“Good,” Akira said. “If anything happens, Touko, you have to stay with Kun. I don’t know if I’ll be able to protect you where we’re going.”
They kept walking, their surroundings lost to darkness. Touko could hardly even see Akira anymore, and she was right in front of her and Kun.
“I’m weak. The truth is, I should be forcing you to stay somewhere safer,” Akira said. “I’m sorry.”
The growing darkness was frightening. It felt as if the night were closing in, ready and willing to crush everything.
“Miss Akira, back in the forest, we heard voices coming from the grass and trees around the Guardian God,” Touko said. “What did that mean? Is it true that you don’t trust the other Fire Hunters?”
Temari and Kanata kept moving, their claws tapping lightly against the road.
“It’s half-true,” Akira said.
Temari snorted.
“I don’t trust the Fire Fiends on a personal level, but I trust their function. They’re honest, not like people. Humans can’t survive without fire fuel, and Fire Fiends have it. It’s a straightforward relationship that’s easy to understand.”
Kanata licked Kun’s hands clean after Kun had finished eating. Kun offered both hands to the dog and laughed because Kanata’s tongue tickled.
“Fire Fiends can’t lie or manipulate like humans can,” Akira said. “They want to kill us. It’s instinct. I get that. It’s easy for me to predict and plan for.”
After licking Kun’s hands clean, Kanata scented the air, sensing dangers along the path ahead.
Akira had answered Touko’s question, but Touko felt like Akira was holding something back. Maybe Akira’s thoughts were so complicated that they were hard to express in words.
Kun slipped one hand back into Touko’s and started walking faster to keep up with Akira. Touko made sure that her footsteps were sure and even so that she wouldn’t damage the sandals that Kaho had given her.
Temari barked a warning. Other dogs barked back. Were these the dogs of the Fire Hunters who were left in the city? Or was there another Fire Hunter nearby?
Akira didn’t pause to check. She turned down a narrow alleyway as the shadows of night deepened around her.
Each step forward made Touko feel colder and more lost. She felt like she was walking into some kind of horrible trap. Was this how the Millennium Comet felt, being hunted and used for the purposes of others?
Touko wanted to see, but her eyes refused to focus.
If Akira managed to deliver her petition to the Guardian Gods, what would happen next? Would there be any response or reaction at all? What if Koushi and Roroku beat them to the shrine? Where was Kaho now? Was she back in Shouzou’s house by the sea, asleep?
Kaho was so beautiful. Even dressed in unfamiliar, ill-fitting capital-style clothes, she was beautiful. The dress that Kaho had worn that day hadn’t fit properly, but it had suited her more than the wedding dress she’d worn while they were traveling in the black cart together. If Kaho got to live and work in the capital, she would be able to buy clothes for herself in that style. Clothes that fit.
Kanata rubbed his head against Touko’s hand several times as they traveled, reassuring her that he was still there. His steady presence helped her focus on putting one foot in front of the other.
The night before, several streetlamps had been working, but now they were out of fire fuel. There were a few strips of red emergency lighting along the sides of the road. Those small, blood-colored lights looked like unblinking eyes, watching and waiting.
Akira kept going in a straight line.
Touko’s fear made her feel younger and smaller than she was. It was crazy for her and Kun to be here, following after a Fire Hunter and a warrior like Akira. What could they do to help her? Nothing. They were only slowing Akira down.
If we’re only going to get in the way, it would be better to stop here, Touko thought.
Kun wouldn’t stop or turn around, though—not as long as Akira was in the lead. “You’re not gonna leave me behind!” he’d said—a long time ago, when they’d all been at Shouzou’s house together. Touko thought about that as she hurried after Akira.
Akira stopped suddenly. She stood next to a large factory building on the side of the road. Kanata’s hackles went up, though he stayed silent. He moved up next to Akira to protect her.
Akira held up her hand in a forbidding gesture.
A shadow descended in front of Akira on the street. It wasn’t one of Hibari’s spies. The shadowy figure appeared human. The figure crouched low in a beast-like posture, blocking the street.
Touko recognized the figure’s glossy hair and the dark, resentful eyes that were glaring at Akira.
“So, it really is you,” the figure said.
Kanata bared his fangs and growled.
“That dog brings nothing but bad luck. That is why I have always hated beasts.”
Hibana blocked the way ahead.
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